RIYADH, 28 October 2003 — The rhythm of life in Riyadh during the holy month of Ramadan has undergone a profound change over the decades. In the past there was no all-night shopping, since supermarkets were few and far between. There was no eating out, since all preparations were done at home.

“There definitely has been a change in the social life, especially with all the new technology. Now instead of going to people’s houses to exchange Ramadan greetings, we send SMS or e-greetings via the Internet,” Talaat Wafaa, editor in chief of Riyadh Daily, told Arab News.

He said all-night shopping, a conspicuous feature of Ramadan, was non-existent before the oil boom. “As a child I used to sleep at 9 p.m. and get up in time for suhoor. There were no shopping complexes in those days. Riyadh consisted only of Batha, Wazeer Street and Malaz. For entertainment, we used to tune in to Radio Riyadh, especially Abdul Aziz Hazza and his impressions of various personalities of his time.”

Ahmad Khairallah, a systems analyst, said that iftar — far from consisting of partying in hotels and restaurants — took place at home and consisted of only a few dishes.

“We used to have dates, apricot juice from Syria and Arabian coffee for iftar,” said Ahmad, a Saudi. He added that only people in Jeddah and Dammam had access to fish. “We were not that lucky. So we had to be satisfied with qabsa.”

Another notable difference, he pointed out, was that Saudi women used to cook their own meals and attend to household chores. “There were no servants. We had to do the work ourselves.”

Manzoor Ahmad, a Pakistani national who has been in the Kingdom for the last 28 years, said there were very few loudspeakers during the time of King Faisal. Also, travel between Riyadh and Makkah used to take 10 full days by truck, with stops at various places. Television was only just making its debut.

“We used to start fasting after hearing the cannon fire. There wasn’t nearly as much food as there is today. Bread was considered a luxury. Anyone going to Dammam or Jeddah used to be asked to bring back a packet of bread. We used to break our fast with lemon juice, dates and zamzam.”

Hussain Zulqarnain, an Indian national who came to Riyadh in 1970, said the waste of food was an unhealthy modern-day trend. “In those years it was regarded as a sin to waste food or host lavish parties. The concept of eating out was non-existent, since there were not many restaurants. Moreover, people were not rich enough to hold lavish parties for their guests,” he added.